Assembly Passes Homeless Camp Removal Ordinance

By a nearly unanimous vote last night, the Anchorage Assembly approved a new ordinance for removing illegal homeless campsites and confiscating campers’ property. But the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska says the law, as passed, is unconstitutional and they’ll fight it.

In April, ACLU-Alaska filed suit against the municipality in Superior Court. The organization charged the city’s 12-hour ordinance and lack of true legal protest against seizure and property destruction wasunconstitutional. The city attorney’s office proposed five days. ACLU wanted 10 business days.